


A Continued Legacy

by EarthboundJedi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Jacen's more like his father than he realizes, follow the white lothcat, spacedad and spaceson feels ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-02 03:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14535642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarthboundJedi/pseuds/EarthboundJedi
Summary: After many years by his mother's side, something on Lothal calls to Jacen Syndulla. Unsure of how he fits into the grand scheme of the Galaxy, a fateful encounter from ghosts of the past sets him on a new path.





	A Continued Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [@superherotiger](https://superherotiger.tumblr.com/) for the tumblr May the Fourth Star Wars Rebels Gift Exchange. I absolutely _loved_ working on this! :)

Jacen leaned on the railing of the communication tower as he watched the twin moons of Lothal rise on the horizon. The capital city glowed in the distance, a glimmering, bustling symbol of hope and perseverance nestled in the heart of the planet’s expansive plains and mountains. It was a pleasant enough place to visit; he remembered coming here many,  _ many _ times with his mom when he was younger. Back then, Lothal and the rest of the Galaxy had just wrested its freedom back from the Galactic Empire; as such, General Syndulla and her son were always welcome visitors.

This visit, Jacen wasn’t here with his mother. He found it was much easier to move about the city, slipping down side streets and lurking in all manners of pubs and hole-in-the-wall diners, without his extremely recognizable mom at his side. It was weird, actually, not having her here - for as long as he could remember, the two of them (and their grumpy C1 droid) had practically been inseparable. But during their last trip here, something had started nagging at the back of his mind while they wandered up and down the city’s streets; once they left the planet’s surface, it was as if something was immediately trying to call him back.

After many rotations, when the soft whispering at the corners of his awareness didn’t fade away, he broached the topic with his mom. He asked her what it was and what it could mean, and he had watched while she regarded him with a thoughtful, misty-eyed look. He’d never forget her response:  _ “You have questions, Jacen. I can’t answer them, but the Force can.” _  She let him take the Phantom II (how the ancient Clone Wars-era shuttle was still in flying condition, he had no clue), making him promise to bring both the shuttle and himself back in one piece.

That had been maybe four rotations ago. Since then, he’d been relentlessly searching the town, eavesdropping on all manners of conversations, hoping to find the shred of a sliver of a hope of what the  _ kriff _ he was even supposed to be looking for. He was tired, frustrated, and alone.

_ Maybe I should leave and meet up with Mom on Ryloth. _

But as soon as he had the thought, the whispering started a new chorus of nagging at the back of his mind. It spoke no words to him, only gifting him with a confusing, nebulous feeling that he couldn’t put any sort of name to.

Jacen tugged the hood of his cloak over his head, hiding his wolf tail of dark green hair and the smattering of green freckles that dotted his cheekbones. His mom had mentioned the Force, that somehow  _ it  _ was the thing that could help with the whispers in his head. But as far as the Force was concerned, he was skeptical at best. Sure, he’d met the great Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi who had ‘brought balance to the Force’, whatever  _ that  _ meant. But upon meeting one of the people who’d fought alongside his mom in the Rebellion, Jacen’s impression of the man hadn’t been very… impressive. Luke was a cool guy and all, but the whole ‘mystical Force-wielding warrior’ thing? Jacen didn’t buy it. In his opinion, the man was just an extremely lucky farmboy-turned-rebellion-hero, who now had some sort of school to teach others his lucky Force-wielding ways.

His mom insisted that his dad had been a Jedi, too. She’d told Jacen many stories of how the two of them went around the Galaxy and helped people, formed their rag-tag found family, and fought with the Rebellion since its infancy. Of course he believed her - she was his mom, after all. And he’d talked with Uncle Zeb and Aunt Sabine frequently enough to know the stories were true, all of them.

Which meant the story of how his dad had sacrificed himself to save the others during one of their last missions as a group was, tragically, true as well. His father, Kanan Jarrus - the Jedi, the hero, and the martyr who never lived to see the birth of his son. By all accounts, a legend. A man with a legacy so storied and noble that Jacen could never hope to hold a candle to that blazing bright flame. And he definitely couldn’t ever dream of relating to that half of his parentage, other than the predominantly human features he saw every time he looked in a mirror.

Pilot or mechanic? Relatable. War hero? An occupation he would never aspire to, but a tangible thing nonetheless. But…  _ Jedi Knight _ ?

Jacen groaned and covered his face with one of his hands, trying to ignore the sound of his insecurities and uncertainties mingling with the incessant whispering.

_ I need a drink. _

Quickly descending the tower and making his way to his rented speeder, he started zipping down the main highway into town. He couldn’t outrace the whispers and doubts, but the sensation of the wind whipping in his face as he skimmed over the surface helped ground him. He still wanted that drink, though.

The grungy, welcoming sign of Old Jho’s was barely in sight when, out of nowhere, a white blur streaked across Jacen’s field of view.

“Whoah!”

He slammed on the brakes, causing the speeder to swing at an angle as it ground to a halt. As he caught his breath, Jacen spotted the source of the blur perched on top of some crates next to the road. It was one of the planet’s many Lothcats, sitting cool, collected, and completely oblivious to the danger it had narrowly avoided. But it wasn't like any of the Lothcats he'd seen before; this one had fur as white as a blizzard on Hoth and piercing blue eyes. Eyes that were staring directly at Jacen.

“Well, aren't you a strange little guy?” he mused.

The white Lothcat meowed and licked its front paw.

“I've got someplace to be, but you should be more careful when you're crossing the street.”  _ Why am I talking to a tooka? It's not like it understands me. _

Jacen repositioned his foot onto the gas pedal, intending to traverse the last couple of blocks between him and Old Jho’s. But at his movement, the Lothcat immediately raised its hackles and hissed at him.

“What? Why are you mad at me? I didn't hit you! Now scram!”

It lowered its hackles and resumed staring at him, watching him expectantly.

Jacen sighed and dismounted the speeder. “Fine. What do you want?”

The Lothcat looked him directly in the eyes, then turned to look at the horizon. Some of the whispers in Jacen’s head coalesced to form a thought of intuition.

“Do… do you want to show me something?”

The Lothcat chirped as it brought its gaze back to Jacen. As if it were trying to say:  _ Obviously, Meiloorun-head. _

“Okay then,” he sighed, “lead the way.”

The white Lothcat leapt from the stack of crates, landing nimbly on the other side of the fence Jacen had just passed that separated the concrete of the city from the expansive, grassy fields. It poked its head through a patch of grass, giving Jacen an impatient stare.

“Hold on, let me get turned around!” Jacen carefully maneuvered the speeder so he could execute a three-point turn in the empty passageway, bringing himself about to face the direction of the Lothcat. His speeder properly oriented, the small creature dove further into the grass and reappeared in a small opening a few feet ahead. Again it looked back at Jacen expectantly, twitching its tail as if to wave him forward. Jacen's gaze flicked between the Lothcat and the plains stretching out before him, the swaying grass tickling the twin moons where they hung low in the sky.

_ Speeding off into the unknown, following a white Lothcat? Sounds weird and reckless. _

_ Let's get started. _

Lightly revving the engine, the speeder moved forward off the road. The Lothcat immediately started racing ahead of Jacen, bounding through the sea of yellows and light browns. He strained to keep his sights on the bobbing blur of white as he chased after it, quickly losing sight of the city through the tall grass surrounding him. The flashes of white in the growing darkness were now the only thing guiding his way.

Well, that, and the chorus of whispers from the grass as it brushed by him, holding a cryptic conversation with the murmurs in the back of his mind. He couldn’t make any intelligible sense of it, but somehow Jacen knew he was heading in the right direction. He could  _ feel  _ it.

Heading towards  _ what _ , though, he had no idea.

Eventually their chase through the seemingly endless plains led to a wide open clearing, where large circles of fine dirt and gravel prevented the tall grass from growing. The largest of the circles gently sloped inwards towards its center, like a crater or excavation site. The Lothcat stopped at the edge of this circle, causing Jacen to once again slam on the brakes to avoid hitting his animal guide. It meowed at him and hissed at the speeder, clearly trying to communicate that the machine should be left at the edge of the clearing. He dismounted, and instantly the Lothcat began trotting forward, down into the mysterious pit.

“What is this place?” Jacen mused as he walked behind the white Lothcat. As they moved further into the clearing, wisps of fog started accumulating at the edges of the grass, obscuring the rest of Lothal’s landscape so that only the empty clearing was visible.

Scratch that -  _ not _ empty. In the very center of the pit, still a long ways away from where he stood, sat some sort of grey rock.

_ Maybe it’s a magic Force rock? Or maybe… didn’t Mom mention that Lothal once had a Jedi temple? Maybe this is the last remaining piece of it? _

Trying to keep his hopes from soaring too high, he continued towards what was possibly the last object on Lothal that might actually help him answer the questions stirring inside him. When the pair got close enough to the center, the Lothcat scampered up to the top of the rock, its white coat contrasting with the soft grey surrounding it. Turning in a little circle, it contently nestled itself into the long, furry moss covering the stone.

_ Hold up. _

_ … Long, furry moss? _

_ That’s no stone. _

Jacen stumbled backwards, falling onto his backside in the dirt, when the not-stone started shifting. The large, grey mass rose onto four large, grey legs; a bushy tail unfurled and swept past Jacen’s feet as the not-rock started turning. Soon, he was face-to-snout with by far the most beautifully terrifying creature he had ever seen.

_ Holy kriff, I’m about to get eaten by a Lothwolf. Mom’s gonna kill me. _

The wolf towered over him, its warm breath beating against Jacen’s wind-stung cheeks. A low growl escaped through its teeth, though somehow the sound didn’t bring the impending sense of doom Jacen thought it would. Possibly because the white Lothcat, still cutely perched atop the Lothwolf’s head, flanked by the beast’s pointed ears where the Lothcat had nestled into the mass of grey fur.

When the Lothcat mewled from its perch, Jacen's gaze briefly drifted upwards. A dark grey pattern marked the wolf’s forehead, the shape of which was achingly familiar. He didn't examine it for long, though, feeling the urgent need to make eye contact with the Lothwolf.

“Uh,” he stammered, “What… what do you want from me?”

Despite asking the question aloud, the last thing Jacen expected was a verbal response.

“You. Must. Learn,” the wolf slowly articulated. The words were like a cross between a growl and a howl, and it was entirely possible Jacen was simply imagining the whole exchange. Then again, if the Force was somehow involved in whatever this unusual encounter was, anything was possible.

“Learn what?”

The wolf narrowed its eyes, irritated at the interruption. “Who. You. Are.”

Jacen barely restrained himself from letting a series of questions and comments burst from his mouth.

_ But I know who I am! I'm Jacen Syndulla. Son and copilot of the best pilot in the Galaxy. Why would I be anything else? _

The wordless whispers in the back of his mind hadn’t ceased yet; rather, they seemed to be getting louder, escalating to an annoying buzzing sensation that simultaneously made him agitated and empty.

Somehow, through all the noise, he heard the Lothwolf speak again:

“Your… Legacy.”

Before Jacen could wonder what the newest addition to the cryptic message could mean, the Lothwolf lowered its snout so that its nose was touching the center of his forehead.

There was a flash of white light.

And then… nothing.

Jacen looked around at his surroundings, worry rising in his chest when he couldn’t see the grey Lothwolf or the white Lothcat. The worry morphed into a full-on panic when he realized he couldn’t even see the dirt or the grass or the moons of Lothal anymore. He was surrounded by darkness as far as the eye could see. Though not total darkness - the black sky he saw stretching in every direction was dotted with tiny white pinpricks of light. It was as if he was floating in some sort of Galactic void and standing among the stars.

The incessant whispers in his head ceased, magnifying the silence of the strange place.

“Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing in his ears despite the clear lack of any walls or other smooth surfaces for the sound to bounce off of. “Is anybody there? Somebody? ...Anybody?”

But nothing returned his call.

Slumping to his knees, Jacen buried his face in his hands.

_ What am I doing here? _

_ Why did I come here in the first place? _

_ I’m not cut out for all this weird stuff. I’m practically useless on my own. I should never have left Mom. _

“I just want to go home…” he sobbed aloud.

“Already? But you just got here!”

“I know, but - eeAAAGGHH!” Jacen shrieked, his heart pounding as he searched, wide-eyed, for the source of the new voice. But he still couldn’t see anything. “Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?”

“I guess you wouldn’t recognize my voice, huh? Hold on, give me a second…” slowly, about five feet in front of Jacen, some of the balls of light started coalescing to form the outline of a figure. “It takes a surprisingly long time to form a body after floating around in the living Force for… what, twenty years?”

“Who… who are you?” Jacen repeated. “ _ What _ are you?” He watched as the figure of light gradually took the shape of a human, complete with a lightweight set of green armor and striking blue eyes. On the shoulder of the figure’s - well, man’s - armor was that odd symbol again, the same one he’d seen on the forehead of the Lothwolf. The familiarity of it tickled a thought in the back of Jacen's mind.

_ I  _ know _ I've seen that symbol somewhere before... _

“Jacen,” the fully-materialized man said calmly, settling on his knees in a meditative position, his eyes brimming with pride and love, “I am your -”

The puzzle finally clicked into place. “ _ Dad?”  _ Jacen’s voice shook, staring incredulously at the vision before him.

“Well, I was going to say 'father’ - seemed a little more dramatic, you know? But -”

“But how?” Jacen interrupted again, “Mom said you were dead! That you died before I was even born!”

_ I'm dreaming. I had one too many drinks at Old Jho's again, and now I'm hallucinating. That's the only way any of this makes sense. _

“Hera…” the man claiming to be his father muttered, staring wistfully off into the distance before turning his attention back to Jacen. “You know, you have your mother's eyes.”

“Funny, she always said I had  _ your  _ eyes. But you still haven't answered the question,” he pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Which was…?”

“How is it I can see you? Talk to you? After all this time…”

“You don't need  _ me _ to answer that question,” Kanan smiled softly, raising one of his eyebrows. “I think you already know.”

“I don't! I don't know anything! I came here because I have questions, not answers!” Tears started collecting at the corner of Jacen's eyes as he became overwhelmed by frustration and a sea of other nameless emotions.

“And what was it that led you here?”

“A white Lothcat. And a wolf. I think.”

Kanan chuckled, “Go figure. But that's not what I meant. Why bother coming here to Lothal in the first place?”

“I told you, because I have questions!”

“Breathe, Jacen. Focus your thoughts. Why is it you are here, talking with me, instead of asking Hera these burning questions of yours?”

“I tried asking Mom! But I couldn't really explain it, and… and then she…” At last, the lightbulb turned on. “She told me the Force would answer me,” he sighed.

“Well, there you have it.”

“So, what, you mean to tell me  _ you're _ the Force?”

“Part of it, yes. Just as you are, and your mother, and every other living thing in our Galaxy. It's… a lot to take in, I know.” Kanan gestured for Jacen to come closer.

“Wait, so…” Jacen started as he settled on his knees in front of his father, mimicking his meditative pose, “Does that mean you're not dead? Why didn't you come back sooner?”

Kanan’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Oh, I'm afraid I'm very much dead. But just because someone dies, that doesn't mean they're gone.”

Jacen pondered his words for a few moments before speaking again. “Alright. So the Force is helping me speak to you, so I'm assuming this is some sort of Force-void thing we're in?”

“It doesn't really have a name, but sure, let's go with that.”

“So… why now? I've come to Lothal a bunch with Mom, why didn't I ever stumble on this place before?”

“Because now you're finally ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To continue the family tradition.”

Jacen narrowed his eyes. “You're going to have to be more specific.”

The corners of Kanan's mouth twitched in amusement. “Think about it for a second. Would the Force really call you here for flying lessons?”

Jacen tried to keep his thoughts from running in a million different directions.

_ He can't possibly mean…  becoming a Jedi? Me? _

“But I've never really felt… Force-y,” Jacen commented.

“The Force is strong with you, Jacen,” Kanan smiled warmly. “It has been since the day you were born. You just haven't been attuned to it until now.”

“But why  _ now _ ?”

“Because the balance of the Force is at risk of collapsing. You have already learned a great deal from your mom - now that you have grown into a young man, it is time for you to learn a new path.”

“... Jedi training?” Jacen asked softly.

Kanan nodded.

“But… how will you teach me if you're dead? Or… a Force ghost, or whatever. Do I have to stay here?”

“As much as I would love to share in that part of your life, I cannot teach you. I'm…” Kanan gave him a mischievous look, “ _dead_ _serious_.”

Jacen groaned.

“But in all seriousness,” Kanan continued, “someone else will guide you in the ways of the Force. Someone still living.”

“... Like Luke Skywalker? Do you want me to join his Jedi academy?”

“Oh, hell no. He's got enough on his hands - er,  _ hand _ \- with that lot he's got now. No... there's someone else I want you to seek out.”

“There's someone else besides Luke? Who?” Jacen could feel his excitement rising. Everyone always said that Luke was the last of the Jedi, but if there was someone else…

“He'll be difficult to find.”

“Who?”

“My former padawan.”

“ _ Who?! _ ”

“Ezra Bridger.”

Jacen gasped. “Really? He's out there? Aunt Sabine and Ahsoka went searching for him ages ago, but they still haven't come back!”

“Then I guess you’ll have to find them, too.” The edges of his father's form started glowing a soft white; the reunion of father and son was almost at its end.

“Wait, but how will I find them?” Desperation was creeping into the undertones of Jacen's voice.

“You’ll find your way. I have faith in you.” Kanan reached out and placed a hand on Jacen's shoulder. Though his body was rapidly dematerializing, the touch was surprisingly solid.

“But I don't even know where to start! Please,  _ don't go _ !” Jacen cried out as he felt the void around him shift, causing his stomach to flip and the shape of Kanan Jarrus to further dematerialize.

“Do not be afraid. Trust in yourself. Trust in the Force. For I will always be with you…”

Vertigo overtook Jacen and he found himself lying flat on his back, staring up at the twin moons of Lothal.

“...  _ my son _ ,” the words hung on the wind, whispering before it left to dance in the tall grass.

Jacen slowly sat up, wiping dirt from his tear-stained face. He was alone in the clearing, his speeder still parked at the edge of the field right where he'd left it. Getting up and brushing off his pants, he made his way over to the bike. Jacen's hand trembled when he held on to one of the handlebars.

_ What… what just happened? _

_ Am I seriously going to become a Jedi? Just like my father? _

He heard a rustling off to the side. Whirling around, he laid eyes on the white Lothcat, sitting innocently in front of the tall grass and watching him expectantly.

Jacen nervously chuckled as he tried to calm his racing heart. “Hey there, little guy. You wouldn't happen to know where I can find Ezra, do you?”

The white Lothcat simply gave him a knowing look and meowed.


End file.
